Love lost and Secrets kept
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: Jenny's been keeping a secret from Gibbs, one about what happened in Paris.  What if she took something from that mission that Gibbs never knew about...Something or someone named Tony who now calls her Mom?  VERY AU kid!Tony Jibbs Gibbs/Tony Father/son.
1. Prologue

Jenny Shepard, NCIS Special Agent and daughter of Jasper Shepard, knew she was in trouble with her agency. She'd lied to her director, and her superior officer. She'd endangered the lives of her team mates, and risked her mission.

Not only that, she'd risked the life of a civilian, and not just any civilian; a civilian in the form of an at the time unborn baby. Her baby, her little boy.

She looked down at the tiny baby bundled up in a blue blanket that lay, sleeping in her arms. Already Jenny could see elements of the baby's father showing up in the tiny boy's features, and Jenny couldn't help but wonder if the resemblance would grow stronger as her child grew. Would people guess whose child it was? No-one knew that she and her child's father had been together, liaisons between NCIS agents during missions were frowned upon by the establishment, and she feared what would happen to his career if word got out that they'd been together, and that he'd fathered her child. Her little boy's father valued his career at NCIS above all else, he lived for his job.

When she'd found out she was pregnant, only a few weeks after he had left to return to Washington D.C. Jenny had been frightened, and had contemplated the idea of handing over her new command in Europe to go back to the States and be with him, but her pride had decided that she could do it herself, He'd been unwilling to jeopardise his career and stay in Europe with her, and she was unwilling to risk her career and go back to America with him, so she'd imply disguised her pregnancy. Her colleagues had been concerned by her changing behaviour, her unwillingness to engage in close combat, her moodiness, her preference for desk jobs, rather than being out in the field, but Jenny had brushed them all off. Her superior officer had queried if she was alright health wise, but Jenny had waved off his fears. She'd done the same the last few times Tom Morrow had called her.

Then, a mission had come up, involving Marines going missing during their shore leave in Southern France, and Jenny had known that she needed to go out their and investigate, despite being thirty two and a half weeks pregnant.

Jenny had felt in her gut that something wasn't right from the moment she first started the investigation, but she had brushed off the feeling. Her gut instincts weren't known for being reliable, not like those of her baby's father. She supposed that she had forgotten that maybe her baby had picked up that certain trait of his father's.

However it had happened, Jenny was ambushed on her way from the hotel to the police complex that she and her team were utilising as their temporary base, and kidnapped. She remembered being taken into a large villa in the countryside, facing down the group of men responsible for the marine's disappearances, a group of people smugglers kidnapping people to be sold off as slaves in the Middle East. Jenny had kept quiet, something that was out of character for her, but at that moment she was terrified for the safety of her baby, with good reason. The beating that had accompanied Jenny's interrogation had been fierce, and the men had laughed when Jenny's swollen stomach had been revealed, and her pleas for her child's protection laughed away. Jenny had then been thrown down the stairs into the basement dungeon of the villa, to be kept with the missing marines, and be sold off as a slave with them. The fall, in combination with the beating, had left Jenny near unconsciousness, clutching at her stomach and whimpering.

A few hours later Jenny had gone in to labour in the basement of the villa, surrounded by marines who knew next to nothing about childbirth, and People smugglers who smirked and laughed at her begging for medical assistance.

Jenny had been convinced that she was going to loose her baby, the tiny being that had kicked and pulverised her insides so strongly in the last few months, the one that had grown within her for the last seven or so moths, the one that she and his father had created together during their short lived romance. She'd only been Thirty three weeks along at that point, still almost two full months short of her due date, and in the hostile environment she was in, Jenny was certain that a premature baby wouldn't survive.

Her waters had broken and she had been near exhaustion when a commotion broke out upstairs. Their guards had gone to investigate, and had obviously been overcome, because down the same set of stairs Jenny had fallen down came the rest of Jenny's team, guns up and vests on, as well as several of the local police officers. Jenny had been rushed to hospital, and many hours of hard work, blood, sweat and tears after, her tiny baby boy had entered the world, crying loudly.

Now though he laid quiet, content to sleep in his mother's arms. Jenny smiled, bending down to kiss his dark blonde hair. Although he was small, only 4 pounds 7 ounces, the doctors had been pleased with how developed his lungs were, and were happy for him to be held by his mother, although he'd have to sleep in a humidicrib in the special care nursery at night.

"Not many can claim to have almost been born, during an undercover operation," Jenny said softly to the little boy, "it just proves how special you are:"

"Or how stupid his mother is." Jenny's superior officer Harry Walters said from the doorway. Jenny swallowed.

"Seriously, Jen, you're lucky one, or both of you, didn't die in that basement. The marines have told me what you went through down there, and we've got security footage of the main room where you were beaten. The kid's lucky to have made it to be a few hours old, let alone to have survived being born."

"Yes sir," Jenny said, looking from the man in the doorway to her son. Her son, she loved how that sounded.

"The directors been informed, he's not pleased."

"Yes Sir."

"What I want to know is what you were planning to do after he was born. Were you just going to ditch him, or had you organised to drop him off at an orphanage or something, because, really, Jen, I never realised you were that heartless."

Jenny sobbed, "I…I didn't know Sir. I...I wanted to keep him, but I know that's not possible, not with my job the way it is. Don't make me give him up, please."

"Who said anything about us making you give him up? Director said to offer you a year to get your head in the game, call it suspension with pay, maternity leave, long service leave, whatever you like. After that, we'll negotiate. You never know, there might be a long term job in one of the permanent offices for you, or at least something that's nine till five."

"Thank-you Sir, I know that you put a good word for me…I appreciate it."

"Let's just not make a habit of it. Next time you get knocked up, tell me."

Jenny smiled weakly, "Yes sir."

"Good. Now, what were you going to call this little guy? Nurses tell me that despite everything he's got a good set of lungs."

"Only when he's hungry." Jenny laughed as Harry came into the room and sat down in the chair beside her bed. Jenny shifted, and carefully passed the little baby into Harry's arms. The baby stirred, yawning, before he fell back asleep. Harry smiled.

"Cute little guy. You gonna say who the father is?"

Jenny shook her head, "I'd rather not, sir."

"I thought you'd say that. Does he know?"

"The father? No sir, he doesn't know, and I'd rather it stayed that way."

"Your choice, but if it was me I'd want to know."

Jenny frowned, "I know sir, but it's not you."

They both were quiet, watching the sleeping baby in Harry's arms. Harry cleared his throat.

"So, you never said, did you pick out a name?" He carefully passed the baby back to Jenny. Jenny cuddled the little baby close to her chest, looking at his face and taking in his features, already similar to those of his father. She kissed his softly on the head once again, inhaling his rich, baby smell.

"Anthony. Anthony J.D. Shepard"

"I like it, Anthony, baby Tony, and J for Jasper, your Dad. I'm sure he'd have been honoured. What's the D for?"

"Dominic, he was an old friend of mine at college, got killed in the line of duty his first year out from the FLETC."

Harry nodded and reached into his bag, pulling out a soft teddy bear and giving it to Jenny, "Congratulations, Jen."

it stayed that way." y who the father is?"down in the chair beside her. Jenny shifted, and carefully passed the little

"Thanks Harry." Jenny smiled as Harry got up and left the room, closing the door behind him. Jenny looked down at Anthony and smiled, showing the sleeping baby his first teddy bear.

"And the J isn't for Jasper, Tony; it's for your Daddy. It's for Jethro."


	2. Chapter 1

Jenny Shepard, newly announced Director of NCIS, lay in her bed, comfortably dozing as she waited for her alarm to go off, telling her that she needed to get up and prepare for her first day of duties of Directorship. Technically she'd already performed some director's duties, such as attending the funeral service of Special Agent Caitlin Todd, but today was officially her first day. She'd spent the last few weeks preparing herself by getting to know the office, her new P.A. Cynthia and the tasks she would be required to accomplish in her new role. Her role as assistant Director to Tom Morrow, basically being in charge of NCIS' operations in Europe, had been a good preparation for her, but it was still a massive step up to taking up the mantle of directorship.

Jenny didn't hear the creak of her door opening, or the quiet pitter patter of feet across her bedroom floor, but she did feel the weight that dropped on her. Jenny jumped, letting out a cough, before she rolled onto her back so she could see her assailant.

Anthony Jethro Dominic Shepard, or just Tony, beamed brightly down at his mother, his green eyes sparkling with mirth. Jenny smiled up at her son, running her hard through Tony's dark blonde hair. The little boy was five now, almost six years old. He'd been Jenny's rock throughout his entire life, not complaining once about how frequently they moved, separating him from the children he'd just begun to form friendships with, from the nannies that had often looked after him when Jenny was at work, or on the short missions that she'd gone on.

"Hi mom, are you looking forward to your first day?" Tony asked. Jenny beamed and nodded.

"Yes, Tony. Are you going to be a good boy at school today?'

Tony pulled a face, but nodded. Tony had already started at his new school in D.C. Jenny had wanted him settled in before she started to have to go into the office.

"Good" Jenny pulled him into a hug, and the pair lay in each other's arms on the bed. Jenny inhaled, smelling the scent that was unique to her little boy. He smelt of out outdoors. Tony disliked being cooped up inside, the active little boy preferring to be outside playing some form of game or sport outside. Jenny imagined that Gibbs would have been the same when he was Tony's age.

She and Tony were as close as a mother and son could be. They were all each other had, and Jenny hoped that her new position of director wouldn't cut too much into the time she shared with her son.

Both mother and son startled when Jenny's alrm went off, and Jenny slowly sat up. Tony scrambled up to, his hair wildly mussed.

"Go get dressed Tony," Jenny instructed. Tony sighed, but nodded, climbing off the bed and running from the room. She heard him enter his own room, which was beside hers, and she heard him start singing away to himself as he got dressed. Shaking her head at her son's energy at such an early hour of the morning, Jenny got up and headed for her private bathroom.

NCIS

Dressed and prepared for the day, Tony Shepard sat at the kitchen bench, watching as his mother prepared his favourite breakfast cereal, as well as some fruit and muesli for herself. He was very excited for his mommy on her new job. He hadn't been allowed to visit her new office yet, but mommy had said that one day soon he would be allowed to come and visit and see the people his mom worked with. He had been to her offices in Europe heaps over the years, and had met heaps of the agents that worked there. Some of them had been grumpy or really busy, but lots of them had been nice, and had smiled at him and let him watch them work, or they'd listen to him. He hoped the D.C. office would be the same.

Tony looked over at his school bag and mentally checked off that he had everything he would need. He was looking forward to school today. They had sport on Mondays, and sport was his favourite subject. Sport was pretty much the same all over the world, as far as Tony had seen anyway. They didn't change like languages or customs with each border crossing you passed, not that languages were really a problem for Tony. The advantage of moving around Europe so much from birth had meant that Tony had learned heaps of languages. He knew English, of course, but he also knew French and Italian, some Russian, German and Spanish, and a little Hebrew. It was funny, because at school they were learning Italian, and Tony was far ahead of the other children in his class.

Tony began to quickly eat his breakfast, knowing that his mother wanted to drop him off at school on her way to work. She'd told him that she was going to do that all of this week, but then after that the school buss would pick him up from the end of the street. Tony didn't mind though, because a couple of the other boys that were in Tony's class lived in the same area, and would catch the same bus.

Jenny finished her muesli and her cup of coffee at about the same time that Tony put his spoon down in his bowl and drained his cup of orange juice, before carefully carrying his dishes over to the sink. Jenny did the same with her mug and bowl. She clapped Tony gently on the back.

"Do you have everything ready?" Jenny asked. Tony nodded quickly, so she picked up Tony's school bag, and her hand bag, and hurried from the house to the chauffeur driven car. She and Tony got into the back seat and the car grove down the driveway that lead from the Shepard home to the road, and headed out on the street. Jenny let herself enjoy the luxury of having someone else to drive. It was a novelty that came with being the director of NCIS, one that hadn't quite worn off yet for Jenny or Tony.

Tony watched the affluent neighbourhood they lived in pass by through the windows as they headed towards his school.

"What are you going to do today mom?" he asked curiously. Jenny smiled.

"I have meetings with all the team leaders, and with the SECNAV, Tony. It won't be very exciting" Jenny pulled a face jokingly, and Tony giggled.

'Tonight when you come home can we watch a movie together?" he asked.

Jenny smiled and nodded, "After you do any homework you might have, and as long as it is a short one, okay?"

Tony nodded happily. Jenny laughed quietly to herself as Tony turned back to his looking out the window. While he loved the outdoors and playing sport, Tony was happiest when the pair of them would cuddle up together on the floor with a blanket and watch a movie together. It was their special time together, and Jenny made sure that at least once a week they got to experience it. Usually it turned out being on a Friday night, but it varied with Jenny's workload. Jenny had to admit that she looked forward to movie nights almost as much as Tony did.

Eventually the chauffeur pulled over outside Tony's school, a private one, and both mother and son got out. Jenny made a point of walking Tony to his classroom, where there were a few children already. Tony waved at his new friends, who waved back. Jenny crouched down in front of her little boy.

"Now, remember Tony, either Mommy or Mrs. Walters will be by to pick you up after school tonight. We'll be waiting for you at the front gate. Stay with the other children until you see us, and don't go anywhere with a stranger, okay?"

Tony nodded his understanding. He'd heard the lecture before, and he knew that some people thought it was okay to kidnap kids and take them away from their moms and dads. His mom had told him so, and a few of the older children at his school had their own security guards that watched out for them during play time. It was because they were important, one of his classmates had told him in a whisper, that their mommies and daddies worked for the president, or were senators, or something.

Tony wondered if one day he would be important enough to have his own security guard. His mom had laughed at him when he'd told her that. She's told him that he wouldn't get a plain old security guard; he'd get his own team of federal agents watching his six. Tony figured that if you were special and got one guard, how special must he be if he had his own team of federal agents watching him.

"I've got to go now, Tony. Be good."

'Yes mom, have fun, Bye." Tony smiled. Jenny kissed him on the forehead.

"By Tony," she said, before she hurried back towards where the car was waiting. Tony turned his back and hurried over to his friends, eager to talk about what had been happening over the weekend to each of them.

NCIS

Jenny stood in the elevator wating for the doors to slide open to reveal the NCIS bullpen. She'd opted to walk through the bullpen on the way to her office, a reminder to the agents stationed there that she existed. It also, she thought with a pang, would more than likely bring her face to face with Gibbs. Not a day ahd gone by over the last six years without Jenny thinking of the NCIS agent who had stolen her heart. It was impossible, not with Tony running around. Tony who looked so much like Gibbs. It wasn't obvious to an outsider, but Jenny knew what she was looking for, and every day the resemblance became stronger. T hadn't helped when she'd unknowingly taught Tony a few of Gibbs' mannerisms, such as saying that she had Tony's six, as Tony was now likely to say that he had her six. It was adorable, but it was painful at those moments how much like his father Tony really was.

Being with Gibbs had brought guilt like she'd never felt before into Jenny's heart. Gibbs had just lost an agent, and his team were emotionally devastated, and Jenny couldn't help but think that if she'd told Jethro about Tony, if she'd gone after him back to America, Gibbs wouldn't be suffering as he was. Chances were that they'd probably be married, and Tony would have at least one sibling, perhaps two. She'd never planned to only have one child, she knew what a lonely existence it was, but the way things had worked out, and the way that Gibbs was stonewalling her, it seemed unlikely that Tony would ever become a big brother.

The ding of the elevator brought Jenny from her musing, as the door slid open smoothly. She strode into the bullpen, her head held high, in control of her entire life, and of NCIS. This was what she'd worked for her entire life, and she was proud to have finally accomplished it. She glanced into the set of desks occupied by Gibbs and his team. Ziva caught her eye, and smiled. Jenny nodded in reply, eyeing the rest of her former partner's team. Stan Burley was the Senir Field Agent on the team, and had been for the last two years, having worked with Gibbs for another two before that. It was an impressive record, a indication that the man was not to be underestimated. Jenny found herself admiring the man's willpower, because she new from experience that you needed balls of steel, figuratively speaking, to handle working with Gibbs.

The other team member was Tim McGee. Jenny hadn't had much to do with the young man, but she'd had a look at his file, and had been very impressed. She knew Gibbs didn't usually take ones so green onto his team, so he must have seen something in the younger man to take him on.

Jenny kept walking, but she spotted Gibbs walking the other way, coffee in hand.

'Director he greeted gruffly on the way past.

'Gibbs" she replied formally, "My office, 0930 hours, bring your team."

"Yes mam" Gibbs repleied his voice thick with Sarcasm. Jenny rolled her eyes at his actions, nbeofre she climbed the stair towards her office. She let herself in, smiling when she saw Cynthia rise to her feet.

'What do we have first up today, Cynthia?" Jenny asked, removing her jacket, and hooking it on the hooks in her office wall. Cybthia followed her from her office into Jenny's.

"You have a short meeting in MTAC with the SECNAV first up, followed bythe team briefings.

"I've put Gibbs in for 0930. Work the others round that please. I want the most difficult out of the way first."

Cynthia giggled, but hastily clamped her lips together. Ejnny looked at her assistant, letting a smile cross her face, letting Cynthia know that it was okay to laugh at the joke. Cybthia giggled.

"Probably a wise move, Director."

Jenny smiled, before she checked her watch.

"I'm in MTAC talking to the SECNAV if you need me."

"Yes Director, of course." Cynthia replied.

Jenny glanced at her desk briefly as she turned to leave her office once again, but something made her stop. She approached the desk, smiling fondly as she studied the framed photograph that stood on it. There were a few photographs on her desk, most of them of Tony, plus one of her father, but the one she was looking at had been taken the previous Christmas. Tony was wearing a Santa hat and was beaming at the camera, a teddy bear that was also wearing a Santa hat, aw well as a soft red jumper in his arms. Every time Jenny looked at it she couldn't help but smile.

"I love you Tony" she whispered to the photo, before she headed out of the office to go to her meeting in MTAC.


	3. Chapter 2

Gibbs, followed by Stan Burley, Ziva David and Tim McGee, strode into Jenny's office. Jenny leaned forward in her chair, their files stacked up in front of her, her hands clasped on the desk in front of her, resting on top of the files.

"Take a seat," she instructed, taking her time to observe them. Gibbs looked pissed, and Jenny knew that at one point they were going to have to talk about their past, although she was really not looking forward to that situation.

"My goal isn't to change the way you all do things," Jenny began, "This team has the highest case closure rate of NCIS. I want to make sure that it stays that way. I know you are still grieving Special Agent Todd's death, and I am not going to get in the way of that. Your main objective at the present time is to continue to build yourselves up as a team, continuing to solve cases as assigned to you, and to locate and catch Ari." Jenny risked a sideways glance at Ziva at that moment and the Israeli inclined her head slightly in response. Jenny inwardly relaxed a little. She trusted Ziva to have Jethro's six. Ari seemed to want Gibbs dead, and with the Mossad agent watching her former partner's back, Jenny was much more confident about Gibbs not being killed.

"You all have your own talents, your own skills that you utilise at NCIS. I want you all to make use of every skill you have at your disposal to bring this man down." Jenny forced sternness into her voice, letting the team know that she meant business. McGee and Burley both nodded.

"Alright, you're dismissed. You stay here Jethro."

Gibbs looked at her and then at the door, which his agents were exiting through.

"What do you want, Jen?" he asked.

"We need to have a talk, Jethro," she said, leaning forwards. Gibbs leaned back in his chair comfortably.

"I'm listening," he said with a smirk on his face.

NCIS

Jenny groaned and flopped her head back in her seat as she finally left the Navy yard. It had been a long first day, but it had actually been relatively painless, with the exception of her talk with Gibbs.

For a man who was reputed to be not much of a talker, Gibbs had done a lot of talking up in her office. A lot of yelling, if she was honest with herself. Jenny got the feeling that he'd never forgiven her for not coming back to the U.S. with him after their case together for Europe, choosing her career instead of him. Of course, that choice had landed her right where she wanted to be, in the director's chair. Sure, Tony had been an unexpected bonus along the way, but looking back, Jenny couldn't think of any better way that her life could have turned out. She was happy.

Jenny hadn't brought up the subject of Tony. Her little boy didn't deserve to be brought into the squabbles of his parents, and besides, she had not intention of ever telling Gibbs the truth, unless something happened to her. Then, she wanted Gibbs to take care of the little by. She knew he was great with kids, and she would definitely introduce them at one point, but Jethro wouldn't know the truth about Tony's parentage.

Gibbs was already pissed enough at her without Jenny dropping the bombshell on him that he fathered a child with her and then she didn't tell him about it.

Jenny thought about Jethro the whole way home, until the moment her car pulled up outside her home. She'd been kept at NCIS longer than she had anticipated, so Tony had been collected from school by Mrs. Walters, the kind, elderly housekeeper of Jenny's home, and Tony's usual babysitter when they were in Washington D.C. Jenny trusted the woman with her life, especially since Jenny knew that Mrs. Walters had helped her father raise her after her own mother had passed away.

Jenny got out of the car just as the front door burst open, and Tony came bolting outside, jumping up into her arms. Jenny braced herself at the last minute, catching Tony as he flung himself up into her arms.

"Hi Mom," he cheerfully greeted. Jenny smiled.

"Hi Tony," she replied, letting Tony slide down gently. He was getting to be a bit heavy, although he definitely didn't look it. Tony had always been small for his age, the result of his premature birth and Jenny's lack of prenatal care. Tony was also very prone to catching colds, and Jenny was dreading the winter time, knowing that Tony would want to play int the snow as much as possible, but would be limited for fear he would get a chest infection. Tony's doctor had reassured her that given time and Tony growing, his immune system would strengthen. Still, Jenny was tormented by the memory of one fateful winter, when they were in Switzerland during winter, and Tony had fallen seriously ill. She'd been terrified that she would loose her little boy, and she very nearly had, but Tony had pulled through, bouncing back just like he always did.

"Mom, come on…Mrs. Walters is making Spaghetti for dinner."

Jenny laughed, "Do you miss Italy, Tony?" she playfully asked. Tony giggled. Jenny knew how much her son loved Italian food.

"Not all the ladies pinching my cheeks, but the food was yummy, Mom," he replied, grasping her hands and pulling her into the house.

Jenny put her bag away, slipping her gun into a safe that was kept in a high cupboard. She'd lectured Tony on how it was important he never touched her gun, and she was sure Tony understood, but it was best to play it safe after all. Tony bounced off to the kitchen, where a delicious scent of tomatoes, and garlic as originating from. Jenny hurried upstairs and got changed into some more comfortable clothes, before she followed her son into the kitchen.

"Ah, Jenny, how was your first day at the office." Mrs. Walters asked from where she stood at the stove, stirring a pot of sauce. Tony was sitting on a stool at the bench, carefully grating some cheese.

"It was fine, thanks Mrs. Walters."

"Jenny, how many times must I ask you to call me Sophie?"

Jenny ducked her head, "A few more at least."

Sophie laughed, and went back to stirring the sauce, keeping a very watchful eye on Tony as she stirred.

Jenny sat down beside her son, watching as he set down the grater.

"Did you have a good day mom? He asked.

'Yes, did you?"

Tony nodded rapidly, "We had PE, and I kicked heaps of goals in soccer. At lunchtime I played on the slide with Jason and Michael. It was really fun. Did you get busy at work today, because that's what Mrs. Walters said when she had to come and get me?"

"Yes Tony. I'm sorry. How about after dinner we watch a movie together before your bath and bed time, okay?'

Tony nodded, "Okay Mom," He smiled. Jenny smiled. Tony was so accepting of the demands of her job. His upbringing sure had been dysfunctional, but Tony had just seemed to adapt to everything life had thrown his way with a joke and a cheerful smile.

Sometimes, Jenny found herself amending; Tony wasn't very much like Jethro at all.

NCIS

Jenny sat quietly on the couch in the living room, watching the movie that was flickering across the screen. Tony had chosen The Lion King to watch, but he'd fallen asleep an hour into it, his head resting in Jenny's lap. Jenny ran her fingers through Tony's soft hair thoughtfully.

She hoped she'd made the right decision in terms of accepting the director's position. She knew Leon Vance had been interested in the job and Jenny had trust in the fact that he would make a fine director of NCIS at some point. She knew, especially at first, she and Tony wouldn't get much time together, but Jenny hoped that after the initial settling in period everything would settle down and she would be able to have more time to spend time with her little boy. So far Tony seemed happy, and he was generally a pretty happy boy, but Jenny knew he was a bit prone to getting clingy, or sullen, if they didn't spend much time together. Tony had a fear of being abandoned and left by her and of being forgotten, so when he thought she was moving away from him, Tony got extra clingy and attached to her.

Sophie had told Jenny that she had been like that when she was Tony's age towards her father, but she'd grown out of it. Jenny hoped Tony would too. She couldn't help but suspect that part of the reason behind both herself and Tony being so clingy towards their parent was because the other parent was gone. Jenny's mother had died when Jenny had been one year old, and Jenny had no memories of her. Tony had never had a father figure in his life, and the only man that Jenny could even think of that could fill the role was Gibbs.

Gibbs was good with children, or at least he always had been when Jenny had worked with him, and if Gibbs showed even half the kindness to Tony than he did to other children she had seen with, Jenny knew that Tony would make the grouchy former Marine his male role model, without either of them being aware of the biological bond they shared as father and son.

Jenny sighed when the end credits began to roll up the screen. She used the remote to switch off the TV and DVD player, before contemplating if she could just lie on the couch with Tony and go to sleep, just like she had done when he was younger. Unfortunately, Jenny reasoned that neither of them would be very comfortable. So she moved slightly.

"Mmm, Mom?" Tony groaned sleepily.

"Tony, it's time for bed, up you get." Jenny coaxed. Tony opened his green eyes wearily and he rolled off the couch, landing on his feet. Jenny got up, and followed Tony as he sleepily headed upstairs to his bathroom.

They both went through their nightly routines, before Jenny wandered into Tony's bedroom. Tony had crawled under the covers, and was waiting for her.

"Can I have a story please Mom?" he asked. Jenny nodded, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Which one would you like?"

"The one about the two NCIS agents." Tony replied with a grin.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Of course," she laughed. It was Tony's favourite story. Tony simply shot her his best puppy dog eyes, and Jenny smoothed his hair.

"Alright, once upon a time, in Paris, France, their were two, very cool, people,"

"And they were NCIS agents, weren't they?" Tony piped in. Jenny laughed.

"Yes, they were NCIS agents. They were in Paris because they had a special mission."

"To catch the bad guy." Tony replied

Jenny nodded, "That's right Tony. You see, the bad guy had done something very naughty, and the SECNAV and the director of NCIS weren't very happy with him, so they spent their very best NCIS agents after him to catch him."

"Did he kill someone?" Tony asked. Jenny smiled and shook her head. It was a game that they played every time she told this story, the crime changed. Tony loved trying to guess what the bad guy had done.

"Did he sink a ship?"

"No,"

"Did he steal?"

"Not this time" 

"Beat someone up?"

"Nope,"

"Blow something up?"

"Try again,"

"Draw on the walls?"

Jenny laughed, "Not quite"

Tony had a thoughtful look upon his face, "Tell other bad guys about secret missions he's been on, like a double agent," he asked.

Jenny shook her head, "No, but that was a really good one, Tony. Maybe that might happen next time I tell the story. Do you want to know what was so bad that the SECNAV and the Director of NCIS sent their two best Agents?"

Tony nodded eagerly. Jenny smiled and leaned forward.

"I'll tell you," she whispered. Tony leaned forward, and Jenny began to whisper in his ear.

"He put itching powder in their underwear and mashed banana in their shoes."

Tony dissolved into giggles, "That…that was very naughty of him, Mom. I hope no one does that to you."

"I hope so too Tony."

"What happened next? Did the two agents catch the bad guy with the itching powder and the mashed Banana?"

Jenny smiled, leaning back a bit, "Well, this bad guy was very good at hiding, so it took the NCIS agents a long, long time to track him down, but eventually, they found him, hiding out in a warehouse in Paris. The two Agents had spent such a long time working together that they'd become best friends, so they trusted the other agent to have their six. They got their guns out, and one of them kicked open the door. They went into the warehouse, and found the bad guy curled up in a ball, shaking like a little mouse because he was so scared of the NCIS agents. The put handcuffs on him, and took him back to America, and put him in jail, and the two agents lived happily ever after."

"Only NCIS agents are allowed to kick in doors, aren't they." Tony asked. Jenny nodded

"And the bad guy was allowed to be scared, wasn't he, because NCIS agents can be scary if you're the bad guy," Tony confirmed. Jenny nodded again.

"He wasn't in jail for long," Jenny told him, "because he knew that he'd done the wrong thing, and he said he was sorry, and even good guys can get scared. I'll bet James Bond gets scared sometimes when he's in trouble, and NCIS agents are especially allowed to get scared."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Jenny nodded, "Even NCIS directors get scared sometimes."

"What are NCIS directors scared of, Mom?" Tony asked. Jenny shifted closer to Tony, so he could snuggle down in his bed.

"NCIS directors are the most scared when something happens to the most wonderful little boy in the world, who just happens to be her son."

Tony giggled, cuddling his teddy tightly. Jenny kissed him on the forehead.

"Good night Tony, I love you."

"Night mom, I love you too"

Jenny got up and secured Tony's blankets, tucking him in before she headed for the door, leaving it ajar and heading to her own bedroom for the night.

Tomorrow was promising to be another busy day.

of talking up in her office. A lot of yelling, actually. Jenny got thee feeling that he'e exception of her talk with Gibbs.


	4. Chapter 3

Slowly Jenny, Tony, and the rest of NCIS settled back into their normal rhythms. Jenny spent as much time with Tony as possible, and during work hours spent her time pointedly avoiding Gibbs. Gibbs and the rest of his team spent their time working on cases that they were assigned, while Gibbs especially took care to avoid the new director. Jenny didn't mind this situation, and a kind of harmony existed between the Director's office, and the MCRT.

Jenny was happy in her new position. Tony was doing well at school, and was adapting well to the new town…new country, that he had been thrust into. He'd formed up his own little group of friends, and was often invited over to the homes of his friends for play dates, much to Jenny's pleasure. It was much easier to say goodbye to Tony every morning knowing that he was happy and had friends.

Tony had been, therefore, very put out when notices were handed out about a proposed day of the school being closed to the students. Jenny looked at the note Tony had thrust into her hands when she'd gotten back from the office. She felt her heart tighten when she looked at it.

The day it was scheduled for was Sophie's day off, and she knew that the kindly housekeeper had already made arrangements to go to a theatre show that day with her friends, and couldn't change her tickets for another performance.

"How about you come into the office with me, Tony?" Jenny asked with a smile. Tony had always liked going to visit her at her previous offices, and it wasn't like she was going to get in trouble for having her son with her at the office for one day. Being the Director did have its perks after all.

Tony brightened up immediately, "Can I meet some of the people you work with, and have a look around?" he asked excitedly. Getting to roam around a federal agency was a much more exciting prospect than what his friends planned to do on the day off.

Jenny smiled and nodded, "We'll see," she promised with a smile. Tony beamed up at her, before he ran off to his room to go and play with his toys. Jenny smiled; knowing that the time had come for her to introduce her son to Gibbs, even through it wouldn't be as father and son.

NCIS

The day of Tony's visit to NCIS dawned and Jenny was awoken by a weight dropping onto her bed. She peered out from under the blankets, smiling and shaking her head at a beaming Tony, already dressed and wearing his NCIS cap that he'd been given from Jenny's colleagues when they'd left to come to America.

"Is it time to go yet?" he asked. Jenny looked at the clock. It was Six thirty, and her alarm usually went off at a quarter to seven.

She groaned, "Not quite, Tony."

"Almost?" he questioned hopefully. Jenny worked her way out from under the blankets, ruffling her little boy's hair affectionately.

"Close enough, I guess," she relented.

Tony bounced up and raced around the room, before he ran out. Jenny heard him clattering down stairs loudly, and grinned, glad that her son was so excited. She was sure that, assuming that she wasn't to busy in the lab, Abby would be thrilled to show Tony around NCIS, if Jenny was busy during the day, and Jenny had made sure that was lots of things to keep Tony entertained in his backpack when she'd packed it the previous night.

Quickly showering and getting dressed, Jenny hurried downstairs to the kitchen, where Tony was waiting for her. She got their breakfast ready, and pulled a newspaper towards her, eating while she read the latest news headlines. Tony ate his breakfast while looking at the pictures in a magazine that was lying on the kitchen bench.

Once they'd both finished eating, Jenny sent Tony to watch some cartoons, since it was still a little early for her to get to the office, while she washed up the dishes from breakfast.

When the kitchen was clean, and the dishes were away, she fetched Tony from the living room, and picked up their bags, passing Tony's backpack to him. Tony held her hand tightly, as they left their house, and walked out to the waiting car.

"Heading in early today, Director?" her chauffeur asked with a grin.

"I get to go and help mom at work, and meet all the agents," Tony boasted proudly,'

"Well, don't you look like a proper NCIS agent,' the chauffeur laughed, looking at Tony's hat. Tony tugged on it, and beamed, before climbing into the car. Jenny caught the chauffeurs' eye, and grinned, managing to stifle her giggles as she followed Tony into the rear of the car.

Tony moved restlessly the whole drive out to NCIS, bouncing up and down, and kicking his legs in anticipation. Jenny didn't try to stop her little boy's actions, figuring that the more energy he used up during the car ride, the less he would have while he was at the office, although he was usually very good when he had spent days at her previous offices with her. He got excited every time he'd had the opportunity, so Jenny was confident in her belief that today's visit would be no different.

Eventually the car pulled up in the basement garage of the NICS building within the Navy Yard. Jenny got out first, before holding the car door open for Tony while he slid out, pulling his backpack along behind him. He looked around at the garage, eyeing the other cards in the lot appreciatively. Jenny rolled her eyes and gently took Tony's shoulder, steering him towards the elevator. Like all boys (and men too) Tony had an inborn appreciation of pieces of automotive engineering. Tony's personal favourites were old mustangs, something Jenny was curious about. She wondered if Jethro had similar taste in cars, of if Tony had developed the preference independently of either parent's DNA. He didn't get it from her side, that was for sure.

They stepped into the elevator, and, having looked at her watch and knowing that Gibbs and his team would be at their desks by now, hit the button for the bullpen. She and Tony would use the stairs to get up to her office. It was time to bite the bullet and introduce Jethro to Tony, as just one of her agents at first, and then see how it went.

Jenny wondered how long it would take for Jethro to figure it out (it wasn't a significant leap to take, once Jethro learned when Tony's birthday was). Even without taking Tony's being premature into consideration, she and Jethro had been intimate at the appropriate time.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Tony, suddenly nervous, perhaps picking up on his mother's apprehension, stood close to her, leaving Jenny to make the first move. She smiled at him, before taking his hand, and leading the way into the main bullpen of NCIS. She could feel eyes on her from the moment she stepped out of the lift, or rather, eyes on Tony. Tony had his head held high, imitating his mother's determined walk, although he was looking around curiously much more than she was. Tony beamed when his green eyes fell on a familiar face.

"Ziva" he cried out eagerly. Jenny smiled, relieved that her son recognised the Mossad agent. When she and Ziva had worked together before Tony had met her, and been instantly taken by the Israeli beauty. Ziva, perhaps seeing a kindred spirit in Tony, sharing the burden that came with being the child of individuals in charge of military agencies such as Mossad and NCIS, had formed a friendship with Tony that had lasted for the duration of Ziva working with Jenny, at which point she had returned to Israel. Ziva had maintained the friendship by sending Tony letters, as well as gifts for Christmas and his birthday. Tony had replied with gifts, usually hand made, like a painting, or some form of school made art, or a drawing, and a letter that he would have dictated to Jenny, or a few times recently, tried to write himself. Ziva was definitely getting better at reading Tony's untidy scrawl with the more practises she got. Upon spotting the source of the cry of her name Ziva smiled warmly.

"Why, hello there Tony, you have grown much since I saw you last."

"That's because I eat all my Vegetables," Tony replied.

"Come over here so I can see how much you have grown," Ziva requested, after exchanging a quick look at Jenny to check if it was okay. Tony skipped over to Ziva, behind her desk. She made a show of measuring him against the back wall of her petition.

"Ah-ha, just as I suspected. You've grown into such a big boy."

Tony puffed up his chest, "I know, I have haven't I. I get to help mommy run NCIS today, because there is no school."

"Well it is lucky for us all that you are here to look after things. Your mom does a great job, but I'm sure she needs all the help she can get, and you even look the part." Ziva tugged gently at Tony's NCIS cap. Tony giggled and straightened the hat, before looking curiously over his shoulder at the rest of Gibbs' team.

Stan's mouth was hanging open, and McGee was blatantly staring at the hardened Mossad agent and the little boy she was playing with so gently. Gibbs; gaze was firmly on Jenny, seeking an explanation.

"Gibbs, Burly, McGee, this is Tony, my son. Tony, these are Special Agents Gibbs and Burly, and Probationary Special Agent McGee. They work with Ziva."

"Hi," beamed Tony brightly.

"Hey there, Tony," Stan replied. He'd always gotten on well with kids, and they usually seemed to like him. Tony was no exception, smiling up at the senior field agent, having walked back around Ziva's desk so he could see the others better.

"Tony has a day off school today, so I have brought him in. He won't cause any trouble, but you'll see him around the office." Jenny explained, sensing that Gibbs was about to demand why exactly she had her child at the office, particularly since she hadn't ever mentioned having a son in front of Gibbs before.

Taking Tony's hand, Jenny continued on her way up to the office, climbing up the stairs slowly. Tony waved at the team from the landing, before following Jenny into her office. Before the door closed Jenny could hear Stan and Tim begin questioning Ziva on how exactly she knew the son of the director of NCIS. Jethro, however, didn't say a thing until Jenny's office door was safely closed.

"Jenny and I have worked together before in Europe. One night I went to her home to discuss the investigation she was running, and I met Tony. He's a good boy, although before I met him I never realised how much energy young children had. He has grown a great deal in the six months since I last saw him." Ziva explained to her colleagues

"They tend to do that, Ziva," Gibbs growled, thinking of how much Kelly used to grow while he was deployed. He had missed so much of her growing up. Tony reminded him of Kelly a little. Friendly, always with a smile on his face, although the little boy was obviously younger than Kelly had been when she'd been killed.

"Did you know that Director Shepard had a son, Boss?' Stan asked.

"No, now, what can you tell me about the case."

Gibbs' team knew that there would be no more talking about Tony, so immediately got back into the swing of taking turns to inform Gibbs on where they stood on their current case, which was a cold case that Gibbs had picked out to have another look at.


	5. Chapter 4

Tony let out a sigh as he watched Cynthia working at her desk. His mom was in an important meeting in MTAC, or as Tony called it, the coolest private movie theatre in the world , and he wasn't allowed to go, so he was stuck being looked after by his mom's secretary. He'd already looked at the books he had brought, and he had done some drawings, and but there wasn't much else for him to do. Tony was bored, and no-one was around to entertain him.

"Cynthia?" he asked the busy lady quietly.

"Yes Tony?" Cynthia asked with a smile. There was just something about Tony that made people smile at him. Cynthia didn't know how he did it, but she was sure that by the time Tony was fifteen the girls would be falling all over him. She knew that Jenny was dreading the moment when Tony got his first girlfriend.

"What are you doing?"

"Some paperwork for your mom to sign, why?"

"Can I help?"

""I'm sorry Tony, but not really."

Tiony pouted slightly. Cynthia sighed in sympathy, privately thinking that it was imporessive that Tony had made it this long without getting bored. It was lamost lunch time after all, and she knew that when Jenny got out of her meeting, she was going to take Tony somewhere nice for her lunch break.

"I know, why don't you go out into the corridor and wait for your mom outside MTAC. You can watch the teams while they wait, and taken note of anyone you see not doing the right thing."

"Like a policeman?" Tony asked eagerly.

"Exactly. Then when your mom comes back you cn tell her if you see anyone not doing their jobs, and they can be cross with them."

"Okay," Tony smiled brightly, picking up his NCIS cap and putting it on backwards. Cynthia clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles, since Tony looked absolutely adorable at that moment, and focused on locating a clipboard and some blank paper and a pencil for Tony to 'write' on.

Tony accepted the offered materials, 'Thank-you, Cynthia" he said seriously, his teddy bear tucked under one arm, and the clipboard under the other.

"You're welcome Tony. Now, remember, you must stay in the corridor. You can't go down the stairs to the bullpen, and you're not allowed to go into the elevator. There are some security cameras up on the walls so I'll be able to watch you and make sure you're doing the right thing."

Tony nodded, and Cynthia let him out of the office, propping the door open so she would better be able to supervised, and so that Tony would be able to come back inside if he wanted to. She watched as Tony sat down near the top of the stairs, near the railing, with his teddy sitting beside him, and his clip board in his lap, pencil held over the paper. Nodding her head at the obvious concentration on his face, Cynthia walked back to her desk and opened up a live feed for the security camera out in the walkway so she would have a constant supervision, before she got back to work, making sure she kept one eye focused on what Tony was up to. He was the son of the director of a federal agency after all. Jenny would kill her if something happened to Tony and he wandered off or something.

Tony watched the teams down in the bullpen as they worked. Ziva and her team weren't there, much to his disappointment, because he was sure that if Ziva saw him, she'd be happy to come up and talk to him for a bit. Maybe she'd be able to tell his some stories about when she'd served in Mossad. Maybe he could teach her some more jokes and sayings, even though Tony liked it when she said something wrong, it was funny.

Maybe when she got back from wherever it was she was. Maybe she and her team were going to have lunch. Tony's stomach rumbled at the thought of food, so he reached into his pocket, where he'd put a little container from his lunch box. He opened it up to reveal some cut up apple and some sultanas.

Tony began to eat the apple, still watching the teams down the in the bullpen. They were all typing on their keyboards or talking on their phones, and all looking thoroughly business like. Tony pouted. What was the point of being a policeman when no-body was doing the wrong thing?

For a moment he considered throwing some of his sultanas at the agents to distract them, but then he discounted the idea. His mom trusted him to do the right thing, and he was supposed to set an example for all of the other agents.

Besides, he liked to eat sultanas, and he wouldn't be able to eat them if he threw them at the agents.

Tony gave up on watching the agents in the bullpen, instead looking out the window, which had a view of the navy yard. Tony began to draw the scene through the window, hoping that Cynthia wouldn't mind him drawing on the paper she'd given him. He shot a look over his shoulder at the entrance to MTAC, and frowned at the door as it refused to open and reveal his mother.

Obviously it was a very long very important meeting that his mom was in. Maybe she'd forgotten about him. Tony felt his heart begin to race as he felt his fear level rising. He bit down on his lip, putting down Cynthia's clipboard, and grabbing his teddy bear in a tight hug as he felt tears pricking at the edges of his eyes.

'No' Tony mentally chastised himself, "Big NCIS agents don't cry, not even policemen cry."

He furiously wiped away the stubborn tears that rolled down his cheeks, hoping that Cynthia wasn't watching on the camera. She would tell his mother for sure that he was crying, and then his mother would be disappointed in him. She'd wanted him to be a big boy and help, but instead he'd just cried like a little baby."

"Hey, Tony, what's wrong kid?" a soft voice asked. Tony jumped, startled, and looked around trying to locate the source of the voice. The tall, silver haired man from Ziva's team was looking down at him, having obviously come up the stairs.

"Nothing," Tony hastily said wiping away his tears.

"You sure, you haven't been hurt or something?"

"No, I'm fine thank you," Tony smiled, putting on his best brave face.

"Do you know where your mom is, Tony?" The man, Tony paused, trying to remember his name…Gibbs, that was it, asked.

Tony nodded, and pointed towards MTAC.

"I'm not allowed to go in there though; she's in a very important meeting that's been going on for hours." He added.

"Ah, so you're waiting for her out here, huh?"

Tony nodded, "I was watching all the agents earlier, making sure that no one was doing the wrong thing, but everyone was doing the right thing, and your team wasn't there, so I couldn't even try to distract Ziva so she could come and talk to me. I though about throwing my sultanas at the agents that were here, but then I decided not to, because then mom wouldn't want to bring me back because I'm supposed to be grown up when I'm at NCIS, and because I like to eat sultanas, so I did a drawing instead, and now I've finished my drawing, and I'm bored again"

Gibbs nodded. The kid was obviously missing his mom, probably having imagined them spending the entire day together in the office. While it was true that the meeting Jenny was still in had been a last minute kind of thing, Gibbs had hoped that Jenny would have organised something special for Tony, like a tour of the building. Oh well, Gibbs shrugged, glancing towards Jenny's office, and seeing that the reception area door was open. He gestured to Tony's things.

"Come on Tony, how would you like to come with me while I do some things in the building."

"I'm not allowed to go downstairs, Special Agent Gibbs," Tony replied, picking up the clipboard and his container, still hugging his teddy tightly.

"I'm sure Cynthia will say its okay as long as you're with me." Gibbs reassured.

They headed through the door together. Cynthia looked up form her paperwork. She'd kept a close eye on Tony, ensuring that he stayed safe. She'd been watching when Gibbs had approached the boy, but the resolution of the feed hadn't shown Tony's tears, or allowed her to try and lip read what was being said between the five year of and the team leader.

"Special Agent Gibbs, Director Shepard's in a meeting I'm afraid. Tony, I'm sure she won't be that much longer. Did you catch anyone doing the wrong thing?"

"My team's closed the case we were working on, do you mind if I take Tony around to meet Abby and Ducky, and show him around." Gibbs asked pleasantly.

"That would be wonderful, Special Agent Gibbs," Cynthia beamed, "I'm sure Jenny won't mind at all. Just take your phone with you so that when she gets out she can contact you."

Gibbs nodded; Tony handed over his clipboard and pencil.

"I didn't catch anyone Cynthia," he said apologetically.

Cynthia smiled, 'That's okay Tony, that just means that everyone was doing the right thing, which was good. You go have fun with Special Agent Gibbs, you've earned it."

Okay" Tony followed Gibbs from the office, still carrying his bear by the paw, and reaching up to take Gibbs' hand with the other. Gibbs felt his heart jump a beat as he clasped Tony's hand in his own as they headed down the stairs to the bullpen.

"Hi Gibbs, hey Tony," McGee greeted politely as the pair entered the MCR team's part of the bullpen. Gibbs looked at McGee.

"Call Ducky and tell him he's about to have a visitor of the kid variety…Abby too." Gibbs instructed. McGee nodded, understanding that Gibbs wanted to make sure that Tony was protected from seeing anything that could be potentially damaging to his young psyche, and made the relevant calls. Ducky had been doing some reports, and didn't have any of his guests out on display, so that was safe, and Abby, who had not been doing much since she was waiting for her computers to finish analysing evidence, had beamed and set about getting the lab ready, by giving it a quick tidy up, and getting the materials she would need to make slime ready. All little kids loved making slime, after all.

Unaware of what Abby had planned, although Gibbs did suspect that she would have some sort of surprise in store for Tony, he led Tony to the elevator, leaving McGee to do his thing on the computer to track down their suspect. Ziva and Stan were out in the field following a lead, and wouldn't be back for at least an hour.

Gibbs kept a firm hold on Tony's hand, not wanting to loose the kid, and to reassure Tony that he was still there. Tony seemed mostly over his earlier tears, but Gibbs wasn't sure that they would not return if Tony got overwhelmed by the size of the building.

Deciding that they would start at the morgue and work their way up from their, Gibbs hit the relevant button on the elevator, and the doors slid closed. Tony seemed to be almost vibrating in excitement beside him.

'Where are we going to go first, Agent Gibbs?" Tony asked, peering up at the blue eyed Team leader.

"We're going to go and visit Dr. Mallard, he's our Medical Examiner."

Tony's brow furrowed as the door slid open again, and they walked out into the corridor.

"What's a Medical Examiner?' he asked as they walked through the sliding doors into the morgue" Gibbs was saved from having to think up a child friendly response to that one by Ducky, who was waiting for them near the door, and had obviously overheard Tony's remark.

"An excellent question, I found myself asking the same question when I was about your age. The answer is that I help your friend Jethro here figure out how the people whose passing we are investigating actually died. I listen to the stories they have to tell, and pass the information they can tell me onto Jethro."

'So you can catch the bad guys?"

"Precisely,"

"I didn't think dead people spoke, unless they're in scary movies," Tony said looking from Ducky to Gibbs, slightly confused. Gibbs hid his smile, and Ducky smiled.

"Well, they aren't actually using their voice like you or I do. Their bodies can tell us an awful lot though, if you know how to listen to them."

"Oh," Tony said, only vaguely understanding, but satisfied none the less. He didn't really want to been seen as being rude by asking lots of questions, and he was sure that this nice man, who he assumed was Dr. Mallard, had other things to do.

"Anyway, I'm Doctor Mallard, and who might you be, young NCIS agent?" Ducky asked eyeing Tony's hat.

"I'm Anthony Shepard, It's very nice to meet you Dr. Mallard."

"Jenny's son," Gibbs added in a undertone.

"Ah, well, then, honorary Special Agent Shepard, you may call me Ducky."

Tony beamed at the title, tugging at his hat proudly. Ducky chuckled, and Gibbs grinned.

"You can call me Tony, Ducky." Tony said.

"How old are you Tony?'

"I'm five. Usually I'm at school on weekdays, but school is closed today, so we all got to stay at home. Today is Mrs. Walter's day off, so she couldn't look after me during the day, so I got to come in to NCIS with my mom." Tony babbled

"Really?" exclaimed Ducky with enthusiasm, "and have you had an exciting day so far."

Tony nodded, "It was a little boring earlier, because mommy was in a meeting, and Ms. Cynthia was bust doing office work, and none of the agents were doing anything bad, but it's better now because Special Agent Gibbs is showing me around. It's very big here, isn't it?'

"Ah, yes, it is. I remember when I first started to work here I did find that I often became quite lost, and had to ask a passing Agent to direct me back towards the morgue. Do make sure you stay close to Special Agent Gibbs."

"I will, Ducky. I won't get losted." Tony solemnly promised, tightening his hold on Gibbs' hand to prove his statement.

"Well, I mustn't keep you then, I'm sure that you have lots of exciting places to go and see."

Tony nodded eagerly and Gibbs gently tugged the little boy's hand.

"Come on Tony, off we go."

'See you later Ducky," Tony waved with his free hand.

"Goodbye, Special Agent Anthony Shepard, I'm sure we'll meet again.' Ducky smiled as Gibbs led the little boy out of the morgue. Ducky let out the chuckle he'd been holding in as the doors slid closed once again. He hadn't known that Jenny had a son, but the lad was quite a likable little fellow. Ducky sincerely hoped that he would see the boy again in the future.


End file.
